Patent GB-454592-A (GB)
Title: Improvements relating to slicing machines
IPC: B26D1/153
Filed: 1935-04-05
Abstract: 454,592. Slicing - machines. BERKEL & PARNALL'S SLICING MACHINE MANUFACTURING CO., Ltd., Aden Road, Ponders End, Middlesex.-(Maatschappij van Berkel's Patent Naamlooze Vennootschap, and Berkel, W. A. Van; 33, Boezemsingel, Rotterdam, Holland) April 5, 1935, Nos. 10562, 11697, and 17355. [Class 28 (ii)] In a slicing-machine, the knife is inclined to the vertical, and a rotary slice-support presents an inclined slice-supporting surface to the knife, so that, each slice as it is cut, comes downward from the knife to the rotating surface without substantial change of inclination. The speed of the support may be such that the slices pile up or overlap. Alternatively, the slices may be removed from the support by a discharge fly. In Figs. 1, 3, the substance is fed by a pusher 21, which also functions as a clamp, over an inclined trough on the carriage 3 which reciprocates along guides 4, 5. The knife 6 is arranged perpendicular to the feed and the slice support 53 is of conical form, the slope of the sides corresponding to the inclination of the knife. The slices are retained against the sides of the support 53 by a rim 54, and the support 53 is rotated by a pulley 56 driven by a belt 57 from a pulley on the shaft 9 carrying the handwheel 8. To displace the support 53 to allow for the accumulation of slices on the support, a rack 60 and pinion 61 are operated manually or mechanically. The feed mechanism comprises a gearwheel 31, fast upon the feed screw 29, meshing with a wheel 32 which meshes with a rack 33 on a slide bar 37 which carries a cam-like slide 36 and another rack 39 which is meshed with a pinion 40 in mesh with a pinion 41 on a tube 42 which is rotatably adjustable whereby longitudinal adjustment of the slide 37 is effected for slice thickness regulation. The slide 37 is longitudinally slotted to accommodate two guide pins 37<1>. The wheel 32 is journalled in a bracket 34 pivotally mounted on the feed screw 29 and carrying a swinging arm 35 which runs upon the cam surface 36 of the slide 37, the swinging of the arm 35 being limited by a stop 43 on the bracket 34 the swinging of which is limited by a stop 44. The position D, Fig. 3, shows the feed parts at the end of the slicing- stroke. On the return stroke, at the position E, the arm 35 meets the inclined part 36<a> of the cam 36, and swings against the stop 43, the bracket 34 being lifted to release the wheel 32 from the rack 33. When the next slicing stroke starts, the arm 35 swings away from the stop and allows the wheel 32 to mesh with the rack 33, the feed actuation of the screw 29 being thus effected. A gauge plate 143 is provided in addition to the screw feed means, the plate being adjusted to and from the slicing plane by a rod 45, to which it is attached, being longitudinally adjustable in the tube 42, the end of the rod being screwed to engage with an internally screwed end of the tube 42 which is rotated by a hand member clutched to the tube. The hand member is pulled, axially of the tube, against spring pressure, to disengage it from a locking pin before it can be turned to alter the slice thickness setting. Co-operating with the gauge plate, a guard plate may be arranged in known manner, to seat within the recess of the knife, or, when the knife is slightly inclined to the cutting plane, the guard is set parallel to the said plane. In a modification, the rotary slice support is generally conical, but the surface is grooved horizontally to receive the fingers of a discharge fly. In a further modification, Figs. 12, 13, a part cylindrical body is secured to an inclined shaft 17 to act as a slice receiver, the first slice sticking to the surface of the body and the following slices adhering to one another. The shaft 71 is secured to a disclike member 72 which is pivoted at 73 to the bifurcated disc-like extensions 74 of a sleeve 75 which is journalled in the bracket 76 and has a flange 82 with a hole which receives a pin 85 on a bevel wheel 84. The wheel 84 is oscillated by means operated by the reciprocating carriage. A spring 83 tends to keep the flange 82 in driving engagement with the pin 85, but when the shaft 71 is swung downwardly on the pivot 73, a fixed central rod 80 engages with a recess 79 in the member 72 and then with a surface 72<a> which is designed to pull the sleeve 75 upwards sufficiently to disengage the pin 85. The shaft 71 with the slice receiver thereon, move back pivotally on the pivot 73 as the slices accumulate on the receiver. According to one of the Provisional Specifications, the surface of the slice receiver may be somewhat convex or hemispherical.